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Chapter 19 Status of a Tax Treaty Vis-À-Vis the Statute

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Chapter 19 Status of a Tax Treaty Vis-À-Vis the Statute CHAPTER 19 STATUS OF A TAX TREATY VIS-À-VIS THE STATUTE TheChap. Uruguay 19—Status Round of AFinal Tax Act, Treaty etc. vis -a-vis the Statute SYNOPSIS 1. Judicial Observations............................. 359 3. Legislative indicat ions ...........................369 2. Case law noticed: manifest mis- 4. Law as judicially declared......................370 direction ................................................. 362 5. Conclusion .............................................370 When law can do no right, let it be lawful that law bar no wrong —Shakespeare, King John Act III, Scene I, II 184-186 It is understandable that the terms of an Agreement done by the Central Government in exercise of delegated power can prevail over the executive and administrative norms and regulations; but to say that they can even detract from the statute, or that they can ignore the law declared by the courts is to offend the Rule of Law itself. 1. Judicial Observations Judicial Observations That the Hon’ble Court observed, in Azadi Bachao, the following: “A survey of the aforesaid cases make it clear that the judicial consensus in India has been that Section 90 is specifically intended to enable and empower the Central Government to issue a notification for implementation of the terms of a double taxation avoidance agreement. When that happens, the provisions of such an agreement with respect to cases to which they apply, would operate even if inconsistent with the provisions of the Income-tax Act. …. The very object of grafting the said two sections with the said clause is to enable the Central Government to issue notification under section 90 towards implementation of the terms of the DTAAs which would automatically override the provisions of the Income-tax Act in the matter of ascertainment of total income, to the extent of inconsistency with the terms of the DTAC.” 359 JUDICIAL OBSERVATIONS 360 “As we have pointed out, Circular No. 789 ([2000] 243 ITR (St.) 57) si a circular within the meaning of section 90; therefore, it must have the legal consequences contemplated by sub-section (2) of section 90. In other words, the circular shall prevail even if inconsistent with the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961, in so far as assesses covered by the provisions of the DTAC are concerned.”1 “When the requisite notification has been issued thereunder, the provisions of sub- section (2) of section 90 spring into operation and an assessee who is covered by the provisions of the DTAC is entitled to seek benefits thereunder, even if the provisions of the DTAC are inconsistent with the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961” 2 It is not understood how the Court states that the Circular 789 emanates from the exercise of power under Section 90 (2) of the Income-tax. The CBDT never issued any circular in exercise of power under Section 90 of the Act. Section 90(2) speaks of the beneficial “provisions of this Act”, not the beneficial provisions of this tax treaty. It is wrong to distort it as if it said “provisions of this treaty”. Nor can this power be derived from the power to ‘implement’ a treaty as provided by Section 90(1) of the Act. The following reasons are also relevant: (a) The Section 90 of the Act empowers only the Central Government to “make such provisions as may be necessary for implementing the agreement”; it does not authorize the CBDT to issue a Circular for this purpose. The CBDT is not the Central Gover nment. (b) The expression implementation implies that the Agreement exists ab exrta being a consensual creature bound to conform to the base prov isions and the pre-conditions prescribed under section 90(1). (c) There is nothing in the content of the Circular to indicate that it is issued under section 90(2). (d) To “implement” means to execute (a contract)[SOD]. Section 90 of the I.T. Act contemplates two distinct acts by the Central Government: creation of an agreement, and its implementation”. For rendering the terms of a tax treaty functional and operative the terms of the Section 788 of the United Kingdom’s Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 and the Income-tax Act of India are substantially analogous. The expression “it is expedient” in the British Act is semantically same as “as may be necessary” in the Indian Act. “Expedient” means” “Advantageous (in general or to a definite purpose); fit, proper, suitable to the circumstances of the case”3. To “make such provisions as may be necessary for implementing the agreement” under the Indian Act is semantically analogous with “ then those arrangements shall have effect…” under the British Act. The word ‘implement” means, as the New Shorter Oxford Dictionary says, “put (a decision or plan) into effect”. 1. (2003) 263 ITR 706, 724-725. 2. (2003) 263 ITR 706, 724-725. 3. The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. JUDICIAL OBSERVATIONS 361 The insertion of sub-Section 2 to Section 90 of the Income-tax Act proves a point, which militates against the view taken by the Court. The object and the import of Section 90(2) is worth taking into account.4 If it is assumed that a tax treaty overrides the statute, then it was utterly futile to bring about any substitution in Section 90(1) by the Finance Act 2003 to make the provisions of the Indo-Mauritius DTAC conform to the statutory provisions. This fact is a legislative pointer to the fact that the DTAC must conform to the law. The judicial logic, in Azadi Bachao, comes to this: (a) Section 90 empowers the Central Government “to issue notification for the implementation of the terms of a double taxation agreement.” (b) The provisions of such notified agreement “would operate even if inconsistent with the pr ovisions of the Income-tax Act”. But this is not what Section 90 of the Act says. The referent of the expression “provisions” is not the content (the individual terms) of an Agreement but its referent is the expression “implementing”. The expression “make provision” has been thus explained in the New Shorter Oxford Dictionary: “The action or an act of providing something; the fact or condition of being provided. Freq. In make provision , make prior arrangement or preparation (for ), supply necessary resources .” The Collins Cobuild Dictionary explains the expression “make provision”: “If you make provision for something, you prepare for it by making arrangements e.g. They made provision for the defence of England…” And what is to be implemented is an Agr eement. And the Agreement is what is done under Section 90 in terms of Section 90 (1). In order to be valid it must not transgress the limitations on power put by the said Section. The case before the Hon’ble Court was: whether in exercise of power to avoid double taxation it is possible to bring about a situation of no-taxation, or even a nominal taxation. The word “implementation” in the Section refers to “ the agreement”; but this in 4. “39.The the object of sub-section (2) to section-90, inserted by the Finance Act (No.2) Act, 1991 was brought out in the Board’s Circular No 621 of December 19, 1991 (quoted at page 879 Chaturvedi & Pithisaria’s Income Tax Law, 4th ed.Vol. 7): “Tax treaties generally contain a provision to the effect that the laws of the two Contracting States will govern the taxation of income in the respective State except when express provision to the contrary is made in the treaty. It may so happen that the tax treaty with a foreign country may contain a provision giving concessional treatment to any income as compared to the position under the Indian law existing at that point of time. However the Indian law may subsequently be amended, reducing the incidence of tax to a level lower than what has been provided in the tax treaty. 43.1 Since the tax treaties are intended to grant tax relief and not put residents of a contracting country at a disadvantage vis-à-vis other taxpayers, section 90 of the Income-tax Act has been amended to clarify that any beneficial provision in the law will not be denied to a resident of a contracting country merely because the corresponding provision in the tax treaty is less beneficial”. CASE LAW NOTICED : MANIFEST MISDIRECTION 362 no way validates what goes counter to the terms of that Section. The trajectory of the word “implementing” cannot reasonably be widened as to include whatever the Executive wants, even at the wreck of the law. The Central Government is empowered by Section 90 to perform the following two tasks: (a) to enter into an agreement with the government of any country for the purposes specified in the Section 90; and (b) to make preparation for giving effect to that Agreement within the domestic jurisdiction. No rule as to treaty override can emerge from the fact of notification in Official Gazette or “ from making such provisions as may be necessary for implementing the agreement”. Notification means, as the COD says, “make known; announce or report”. Black’s has spelt out its sense in the context of International Law as “a formal announcement of a legally relevant fact…” Implementation means, to quote COD, “Law performance of an obligation”. Creation of a tax treaty is a precedent act; its notification and implementation are the subsequent acts. In causing operative effect both are integral but they are separate and distinct events. We cannot draw something from a source where it does not exist. The word implementation in the context of Art 253 means a legislative implement ation, whereas in Sec.90 it means administrative implementation as what the Central Govt does u/s 90 of the Act is to enter into an international contract.
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